


call me, cutie

by AccioInvisibilityCloak



Category: Edgar Allan Poe's Murder Mystery Dinner Party (Web Series)
Genre: Based on a Tumblr Post, F/F, Femslash February, Fluff, High School AU, background Oscar/Fyodor, dudes being obnoxious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-19
Updated: 2017-02-19
Packaged: 2018-09-25 12:52:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9821249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AccioInvisibilityCloak/pseuds/AccioInvisibilityCloak
Summary: Lenore Poe is sick of all her gross guy friends hitting on their poor waitress- especially since she wouldn't mind doing a little friendly flirting herself.





	

*******

       Lenore Poe arrives fashionably late, as usual.

The place is a cute little neighborhood café decorated in a nautical theme that sways just to the right side of tacky, as Oscar would say, and whatever is cooking in the kitchen smells _delicious_. Especially after a long night of cheerleading that had resulted only in another loss for the Ravens, Lenore’s high school’s football team.

Sure, it must be hard to pay attention to the boring old game when there are girls as pretty as Lenore on the sidelines, but still, would it kill the Ravens to actually win sometime?

Then maybe they wouldn’t have to keep having these pity parties after every game.

         The café is just on the edge of town, closer to the opposing team’s turf than theirs, which is why Lenore’s surprised they’d come here.

“There she is,” calls Oscar, waving a hand with a flourish. “Lenore, darling, over here!”

He’s sitting at a table packed with their friends: Eddie and Guy DeVere and Ernest Hemingway, who are football players; Oscar himself, who goes to the games purely to stare at the hot Russian quarterback; and surprise, surprise, Edgar Allan Poe, out of his bedroom at last.

“I didn’t think I’d see you here, big brother,” Lenore says, dropping into the open seat next to Oscar and across from Edgar, who glances up at his sister, then back down at his tightly folded hands.

“Ah, yes, well… I suppose there’s no harm in taking in a sporting match once in a while,” Edgar says nervously. “I thought it might be… uhh… uhh…”

“A good time?” Lenore supplies, with a complimentary eye-roll.

“A good time!” Edgar exclaims, then seems to realize his outburst and fold back in on himself. “Exactly,” he mutters, folding his arms across his chest.

“No you didn’t, Poe! He was writing something on his phone during the game,” Ernest sneers. “He even missed my big touch-down.”

“Your big _assist_ , you mean?” Guy De Vere says mildly, stretching his muscular arms up over his head with a groan. Lenore halfheartedly tries to enjoy the view, but there’s just not much there anymore.

“Shut up,” Ernie grumbles. “What’s a guy gotta do to get a drink around here, anyway?”

        “Maybe I can help,” says a voice, the softest, sweetest voice Lenore has ever heard. She looks up to see a small redheaded waitress in a tight blue uniform, pen and pad at the ready. “As long as it’s non-alcoholic. My name is Annabel Lee, and I’ll be your server this evening. What can I- oh! Hello Edgar!”

Edgar looks up, blushing furiously. “I, um, uhhh…”

“He’s just shy,” Eddie De Vere jumps in. “It must be because you are so very beautiful, Miss Lee.”

Annabel giggles. Her laugh is like music, the way it runs down along Lenore’s spine, tickles her skin. It gives her goosebumps.

Unlike Edgar, she’s never been a fan of spine-tingling stuff. But this? Lenore could definitely stand to feel like this more often.

         “Oh, Edgar and I used to take a poetry class together, I went to Nevermore High with you all until the end of freshman year,” Annabel explains. “You probably don’t remember me.”

“Then we’re a bunch of blind drunks, to forget that face,” Ernest slurs, making Annabel squirm uncomfortably.

“Anyway, what would everyone like to drink?” Annabel asks, and Lenore thinks her smile looks just a little more pasted-on than it did a moment ago.

Eddie whistles after Annabel as she walks away with their drink orders, and Ernie actually leans across Edgar to stare at her as she goes. _Pigs_ , thinks Lenore. She suddenly feels the urge to kick some dudebro ass.

         “God, she was hot,” Ernest drawls, nudging Edgar. “Wasn’t she, man? I mean, _wow_.”

“I… um… uhh…” Edgar says, still too starstruck to speak. He settles for nodding sharply and then burying his now-scarlet face in his arms to hide.

“What’s up with him?” Oscar sniffs, finally noticing what’s been going on.

“The same thing that’s up with you,” Lenore says, glad for the distraction. “I see you staring at Fyodor over there. He _totes_ smiled at you earlier, too. That’s a good sign. Just go for it already!”

“Oh, stop it,” Oscar says, but then he winks in such a _getting-some-tonight_ type of way, Lenore can’t help but laugh.

                                                                                                                        *******

         That’s until Annabel gets back with their drinks and menus, and all the boys except Oscar and Guy start falling all over themselves to impress her once again. Eddie puts on his best smolder, Ernie is just not even trying to hide his ogling, and poor Edgar snaps to attention from his face-first slouch on the table to shout, “You’re beautiful! I mean, how are you? I mean- Never mind!” at the bewildered girl before hiding himself again, this time under the hood of his baggy black sweatshirt.

Annabel laughs just a little at that, then stops herself, eyes wide with concern and guilt.

“He’s fine,” Lenore assures her, rolling her eyes. “I’m so sorry about all these creeps.”

“We’re not creeps!” Ernest cries. Guy punches his arm, saying, “Yeah, buddy, hate to break it to you, but you totally are.”

“It’s okay,” Annabel says to Lenore, pushing a strand of red hair back behind her ear. “I kind of get that a lot.” Their waitress starts to pass menus out around the table.

“Well, you deserve better,” Lenore says confidently… and then abruptly forgets what she was talking about altogether, because as she reaches for her menu, her hand accidentally brushes against Annabel’s.

The other girl’s skin is pale, feather-soft and cool to the touch. Their fingers rest against each other for one, too-long moment, and Lenore feels it reverberate through her entire body.

She _really_ needs to pull herself together. It’s not like there’s any reason to hope she, Oscar and Eddie aren’t actually the sole queer population of Nowheresville, Massachusetts- but when Annabel does pull her hand away, she’s blushing again, refusing to meet Lenore’s eyes.

“So, do you know what you- I mean, you probably need time to look- I mean, I’ll be back in a few minutes!” Annabel blubbers, and hurries away.

If Lenore’s not mistaken, she and the cute waitress just had a _moment_. Interesting.

         “I know what I want,” Eddie says, baring his gleaming white teeth. “Annabel Lee’s phone number.”

“Please, she’s clearly into _me_ ,” Ernest puffs his chest out, smooths down his patchy teenage-boy excuse for a mustache.

“I thought she seemed to be friendly with Edgar,” says Guy, charitably. “Right, buddy?”

Edgar makes another noise of despair from inside his hoodie.

“Let’s make this interesting,” Oscar flips his long hair over his shoulder, finally looking away from Dostoyevsky the football star. “Five dollars says she doesn’t give her number to any of us, because you’re all losers, and I like men.”

“Dude,” Eddie points out. “You’re bi. You could get in on this too, it’ll be fun.”

“You’re all disgusting,” Lenore says, rolling her eyes some more. But in her mind, she’s formulating a plan.

“Alas,” Oscar glances dramatically in Fyodor’s direction. “My heart is spoken for!”

“Whatever,” Ernest says dismissively. “More chance for the rest of us. Five more says she picks _me_.”

                                                                                                                        *******

         While the boys are placing their bets, Lenore excuses herself, claiming to need the bathroom. Where she actually goes, is to stalk the doors to the kitchen until Annabel Lee comes back.

“Oh, I’m sorry, did you need something-” Annabel starts, but Lenore grabs her hand and pulls her into the little hallway towards the bathroom, trying to stay out of her friends’ sight. Annabel follows unquestioningly, staying close enough that Lenore can smell the strawberry scent of her hair.

“Yeah, actually,” Lenore smirks. “I need a favor, if you’re up for it. Also, I wanted to apologize for my table again, they’re the worst.”

“Oh, really, I’m sure they’re not that bad,” Annabel says uncomfortably. “I’m just… not interested. That’s all.”

“I knew it!” Lenore exclaims, then reins it in. “I’m sorry, I just mean- I was _hoping_ … do you, maybe, happen to like girls?”

“…Yeah. I’m bisexual,” Annabel admits with a nervous little half-smile. “Am I that obvious?”

“Honey,” Lenore whispers. “We only just met, and you still haven’t let go of my hand.”

“Oh… oh! I’m sorry, I-”

“I don’t mind,” Lenore says, leaning closer. “Unless you do.”

Annabel doesn’t say anything to that, just threads her fingers gently through Lenore’s own, squeezing her hand.

“So what was that favor you wanted? I’m happy to help with whatever you need,” Annabel says after a moment. She bites her lip, glancing downwards. Lenore’s heart shudders, that now-familiar prickle finding its way down her spine yet again.

                                                                                                                        *******

      When Annabel Lee comes over to their table with the bill, Eddie, Ernie, Guy and even Edgar rush to grab it, all of them in top flirting mode. The next few minutes are a flurry of heated debate about who's going to win the bet, and it’s all Lenore can do not to let her smugness show.

The waitress saunters over with their receipt, and the table goes still at the sight of a second piece of paper in her hand. Annabel pauses, looks slowly around the table- and gives the paper with her number to Lenore with a wink. “Hey, call me, cutie. And have a good night!”  

Before turning to walk away, the redhead actually _blows her a kiss_. All around the table, jaws drop. It’s _genius,_ and it's also real, an improvisation by Annabel. Lenore loves this girl already.

Every single boy is staring at her, dumbstruck- all except Oscar, who is laughing his ass off as he slaps her five. “Oh, well-played, lady Lenore!”

She grins. "I know. We’re going on a date tomorrow night. Pay up, suckers!”

                                                                                                                      *******

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a tumblr post that basically says "there is nothing more satisfying than being the only girl at a table full of guys who are all hitting on the waitress- and YOU'RE the one who gets her number."
> 
> Happy Femslash February, Poe Party fandom! I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> The tumblr post: http://flapperwitch.tumblr.com/post/143308997862/saywhatjessie-guys-my-dudes-you-have-no


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